Entering the 2018 season, neither the offensive or defensive lines are settled for the Cleveland Browns in a pivotal year for head coach Hue Jackson.
The Cleveland Browns officially kick off the 2018 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers in less than a week and they seem to be projecting a lack of organization. Some of this is out of their hands, particularly with the way they’ve changed up their defensive line at the waiver wire, but the offensive line is unsettled by choice. Hue Jackson says he knows what offensive line will play on Sunday, but isn’t telling his team until Wednesday.
The Browns made one trade and added two new defensive linemen at the waiver wire, which has shaken up their defensive rotation. Even if all three moves are great ones, it’ll take some time to figure out how best to utilize the new additions and figure out the defensive line rotation.
The Browns held the top waiver claim and felt they had to go get Devaroe Lawrence with a 2020 seventh-round pick to ensure no one else did. He’s going to play the 3-tech along with Trevon Coley, who is coming off of his high ankle sprain. Presumably, Coley will be the “starter”, but it will be a question of who is going to be taking the majority of reps.
Ifeadi Odenigbo was brought in to effectively replace the departing Carl Nassib, now a Buccaneer. Like Nassib, Odenigbo can play on the edge or be an option on the interior. Wherever he lines up, the Browns are hoping he will give them more of a pass rush than Nassib did, which has been Odenigbo’s calling card dating back to Northwestern. Since then, he’s added weight to give him versatility but still found his way to cause pressure.
Carl Davis was the most popular waiver claim in the league, having four teams put in bids for him. Davis takes the place of Jamie Meder, but where Meder was effectively starting, Davis appears to be at least initially more about depth. A lot could change as they get him into the mix and more comfortable, but it at least appears as Larry Ogunjobi is going to go back to the nose and start with Davis giving him relief as needed.
All of these moves could be a boon for the Browns, but getting the rotation sorted out will take longer than a couple days of practice. It’s unavoidable that this will take time to figure out the best use of these players, but the overall product could be better in the long run.
By contrast, the situation on the offensive line is completely avoidable and appears to be a product of a head coach that cannot help but look unorganized and ill equipped. Despite asking Joel Bitonio to play left tackle and having Austin Corbett take almost every rep of preseason and make real strides in the right direction at left guard, Jackson has opened the door to the possibility Bitonio will go back to guard and undrafted rookie Desmond Harrison will start at left tackle.
Harrison was on the PUP list to start camp and once he was ready to go, he was the second team left tackle all of preseason. He never faced opposing starters and looked pretty good in pass protection, but his run blocking was underwhelming. There’s an obvious lack of power to his game that he will need to try to improve in his career. It’s not a given he’ll ever be able to have what people would consider starting tackle power.
For a team that should be predicated on running the ball, having Bitonio and Corbett on the left side of the line would seem the best pairing to accomplish it. If Harrison’s lack of power is an issue, it could limit the ability to run the ball and put them in a position where they are forced to rely on the passing game.
Jackson announced to the media that he knows who will play Sunday, but isn’t telling the team until Wednesday. In other words, Bitonio won’t know if he’s playing left tackle or left guard against the Pittsburgh Steelers, something he discussed on Monday, as noted by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com
"“I think coach is going to come back Wednesday and give us a definite answer,” said Bitonio. “I’m ready for both, though. Whatever they put me at I’m ready to go and play some football finally.”Has he ever not known which position he’ll be playing this close to the season?“Yeah, in high school,” he said.Unusual?“Yeah, it’s different, for sure,” he said. “Usually you have your five linemen, you’re set to go. We’re trying to get our best five guys out there. I just do what I’m told. That’s a coach Jackson question, I’m ready to go out there and play whatever position he wants me to play.”"
The high school feel of the ‘earn your stripes’ gimmick the Browns employed this year is officially carrying over to the field. Instead of focusing entirely on dealing with how to block a star like Cam Heyward, who knows exactly where he will be lining up, Bitonio is thinking about where he’s going to play. Uncertainty isn’t putting him in the best position to succeed.
Should Harrison start, he will be doing so without taking a single rep of preseason against the opposing team’s ones. Maybe he’s been taking reps against the likes of Myles Garrett and been phenomenal, but that’s not clear at this point. To this point, Bitonio has been going up against Garrett, handled himself well and looked more than capable in the preseason.
Even if Jackson knows which unit he will go with and it’s the best possible group he can put out there, the fact the team won’t know until Wednesday, makes the team look unorganized and amateurish. And dressing it up as some secret as if it will be an advantage against the Steelers is insulting to the collective intelligence of fans and media.
Any time a team is hiding who they will play at a position, usually quarterback, it’s because they aren’t confident in the position. That’s not the image a coach should want to project with the offensive line. They need all the reps possible to get comfortable, to gel and be the most confident possible heading into the season, particularly as they face a defensive front with a pair of stud defensive linemen.
In year three of Hue Jackson’s tenure, this feels like it’s his first. The lack of a plan, a sense of trying to throw this team together at the last minute when this is the year when he needs every win he can possibly get, there isn’t much sense of urgency.
The defensive line is out of his control, but the offensive line hasn’t changed in any meaningful way and this comes off as an unforced error. Hopefully the product that comes out on Sunday makes it all worth it, but the indication here is that Jackson looks no more equipped to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns this year than his 1-31 record would suggest.